Trailblazers vs. Clippers Betting Line
Carrie Stroup here with your Trailblazers vs. Clippers betting line courtesy of Sportsbook.ag.
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS (39-19) at LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS (40-21)
Sportsbook.ag Line: Pick'em, Total: 205.5
Two of the better Western Conference teams, the Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Clippers, look to improve on their playoff seeds when they meet Wednesday night.
The Trail Blazers have been a tremendous team all year, but they have been borderline dominant over their past three games, going 3-0 SU (2-1 ATS) against some pretty solid competition. The offense was clicking over the contests, scoring 112.0 PPG as they defeated their opponents by an average of 10.0 PPG. Most recently they went to Sacramento to take on the Kings and were able to get a relatively easy 110-99 victory as eight-point favorites. Portland shot 49.4% from the field in the game and made 10-of-24 threes (41.7% 3PM) with 18-of-20 free throws also going in (90% FT).
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The Clippers also come into this one riding a three-game winning streak and they have taken victories in seven of their past nine games SU (6-3 ATS). They scored at least 110 points in five of the seven wins and failed to cover in just one as they defeated the Timberwolves 110-105 as 6.5-point road favorites this past Monday. It was the team’s fourth straight road game and they went into the fourth quarter down a point, but were able to outscore Minnesota 24-18 in the final quarter behind 47.8% shooting as a group in the contest. Los Angeles had six players in double-figures in the victory despite shooting a poor 52.6% from the charity stripe.
The Blazers tend to play some mediocre basketball on the road and are 14-13 SU (13-14 ATS) when away from home as the Clippers have managed a solid mark of 23-8 SU (14-17 ATS) when in front of their hometown fans. Los Angeles has managed to win each of the first two meetings with Portland this year, taking the victories by an average of 5.0 PPG. The last time they faced-off, the Clips went on the road as they were getting 3.5 points and left with a 100-94 win while holding their opponent to a meager 40.2% shooting. Overall in the past three seasons, Los Angeles is 6-3 SU (4-4-1 ATS) in this matchup and they have won the past six home games against the Blazers.
Some trends to keep an eye on in this game include that Portland is 12-6 ATS (67%) after a combined score of 205 points or more this year while the Clippers have put together a record of 17-9 ATS (65%) after playing two or more consecutive games as a road favorite in the last three years. The Trail Blazers have had plenty of injuries this year but will be playing with a fully healthy squad on Wednesday as they go against a L.A. team which has both SG Jamal Crawford (Calf) and SF Matt Barnes (Hamstring) listed as questionable while PF Blake Griffin (Elbow) is out until at least Sunday.
Portland’s offense has been solid throughout the year as they put up 102.5 PPG (8th in the league) behind 44.4% shooting. Where they have really improved is on defense as they are allowing opponents to score just 97.4 PPG (9th in league) on a meager 43.4% shooting (5th in league).
PF LaMarcus Aldridge (23.3 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 1.1 BPG) has had three consecutive double-doubles leading up to this game and has averaged some huge numbers (27.5 PPG, 15.5 RPG) over the past two contests. He’s had a double-double in each of the matchups with this opponent so far this season and despite his team taking a loss in the most recent bout, he was huge with 37 points and 12 rebounds.
PG Damian Lillard (21.2 PPG, 6.2 APG, 4.6 RPG, 1.4 SPG) has also had some monster performances of late and has made 21-of-42 shots (50% FG) over his past couple of games in which he has netted 30.0 PPG and added 6.0 APG. He struggled in the last meeting with L.A., going for 15 points on 5-of-16 shooting, but nearly had a triple-double (25 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds) the last time playing them on the road.
SG Wesley Matthews (16.2 PPG, 1.3 SPG) has bounced around between poor and solid performances and was an efficient 6-for-8 with 17 points against the Kings on Sunday. He’s made only 8-of-24 shots (33% FG) in the two games against L.A. this year, averaging a mere 11.0 PPG.
The Clippers continue to be one of the better offensive units in the game as they are going for a very impressive 106.6 PPG (2nd in league) on 47.2% shooting (2nd in league). Their fast offensive pace has allowed opponents to score 100.4 PPG (12th-worst in league) while making 44.5% of their shots.
PG Chris Paul (18.2 PPG, 10.0 APG, 4.8 RPG, 1.8 SPG) has a double-double in 10 of his last 11 performances and is shooting an incredible 55.9% from the field over his last five games (25.0 PPG). He is much of the reason that his team won against Portland in the first two meetings, averaging 22.5 PPG, 10.5 APG, 5.0 RPG and 1.5 SPG.
C DeAndre Jordan (11.2 PPG, 14.4 RPG, 2.3 BPG) is having another phenomenal year and has put together a huge stretch of games lately with 13.4 PPG (72% FG), 20.4 RPG and 1.8 BPG over his last five outings. His 11.5 PPG, 16.0 RPG and 2.5 SPG in the two games against the Blazers this year were a clear factor in why his team earned the wins.
SG Jamal Crawford (16.4 PPG) led the team in scoring (20.1 PPG) over 11 February games but came out of his last contest with a thigh contusion. He hopes that it is nothing more than a Charley horse and wants to be on the court against a team which he has put up 22.5 PPG against this year.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
